The Next Five Years
by 22-Ti
Summary: Chloe leaves the county fair before Beca is able to get her number or even her last name. This story follows what happens next, throughout the next five years. Reading Something Like That will give you a great context for this part.


Stacie found Beca standing in the middle of the fairground gazing towards the parking lot. She stood next to her shorter friend, staring in the same direction as if something would magically happen. "Becs?" She finally asked. "You okay?"

"Mmmm, yeah," Beca mumbled.

"Where's that redhead I've seen you dragging around the fair?"

Beca pointed to the lot. "Gone." She looked at her friend. "When we got off the Ferris wheel, one of her uppity friends was waiting on her and dragged her off before I could even say bye."

"You got her number though right?"

Beca shook her head.

Stacie grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her towards the food carts. "You need sugar." She got a couple of Mexican Cokes, a funnel cake with extra powdered sugar for Beca, and some nachos for herself. They found an empty table and sat down. She pushed a Coke and the funnel cake towards her friend. "Okay, spill the beans Shortstack." Stacie dipped a chip into the slurry of processed cheese sauce and slid a jalapeño on top before popping it into her mouth.

"Ummm I kissed her. Then she was gone."

"Well that explains everything," Stacie laughed as she wiped her mouth with a paper towel.

Beca tore off a huge bite of funnel cake and stuffed it in her mouth. She began to talk around the dessert as she came out of her stupor. "She's amazing, Stacie. A junior in college. Don't ask me where, somewhere around here, Atlanta probably. And don't ask me her last name; I didn't get that either. We talked about everything, anything."

"Just not the important stuff like how to find her after her uppity friend drags her off." Stacie took another sip of coke. "You sure do look dreamy happy for someone who doesn't know how to find a gal to ask her on a second date."

"She let me kiss her Stace. Me, a high school senior. Kissing her, a hot university junior." Beca sighed as she found another piece of cake to shove in her mouth.

"Yeah, but how are you going to get that second kiss, Mitchell?"

"Dunno just yet, but I'll find her."

* * *

Beca got online and began to research universities in Atlanta. Using some logic and some of the knowledge she learned from Chloe that one night, she was able to narrow the choices down to seven schools in the Atlanta metropolitan area and several in neighboring cities and towns. She had no idea how she was going to find Chloe, but she was bound and determined to try.

Stacie and she spent countless Friday and Saturday nights in Atlanta crashing frat and sorority parties at different universities. (Beca didn't feel Chloe was a sorority type girl, but her friend seemed like she'd be the type of girl to join.)

Eventually, high school graduation rolled around, and Beca seemed no closer to locating Chloe then before. Stacie kept pushing her friend that maybe it was time for her to give up and to move on, but Beca wasn't having any of that. She enrolled at Barden University as a music major. This would keep her in Atlanta and allow her to keep looking for the redhead who had stolen her heart with one kiss.

Labor Day weekend before Beca's freshman year, as well as each subsequent year, was spent at the county fair where she'd met Chloe that ill-fated night in hopes the redhead would return. She spent virtually every hour the fair was open wandering around. Stacie, being the best friend she was, stuck beside the shorter brunette each day.

* * *

When Stacie and Beca started classes in the Fall, they learned that one of the "in things" for college kids was to hang out at coffee shops. Beca surmised since this was Chloe's senior year, she'd be doing less partying and more studying, and coffee shops seemed the perfect place to study. This meant that Beca began to systematically visit coffee shops around the city. She even went as far as to create a schedule so she could make sure she covered specific shops at different times of the day. Each time she caught a glimpse of a redheaded girl, she held her breath in hopes she'd be the one. Alas, the blue-eyed girl lived only in her memories.

No matter what Beca did, she was unsuccessful in finding Chloe. As heartbroken as she was, Beca decided that fate had decided for the pair to not meet again. So she threw herself into her studies to make the best of her time in college.

* * *

As college graduation rolled around, Beca still had images of Chloe burned in her mind along with how her lips felt during the kiss on the Ferris wheel. Five years had not dimmed the impression the older girl had made on Beca. Stacie and her parents sent them on the ultimate party trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras as an early graduation present. A few of their friends were meeting them there, and both soon-to-be graduates were amped up about the celebration they'd only heard about and watched on television.

They found their seats and Beca quickly claimed the window seat and proceeded to stuff her bag under the seat. She heard a familiar voice coming from behind her and brought her head up so quickly that she whacked it on the tray which had fallen. Chloe! Beca was in shock as the redhead made her way up to see her.

"I bet you don't remember me," she said with a voice as sweet as honey.

Beca launched towards the redhead and wrapped her arms around her neck. "My god I have looked for you for five years Chloe. Of course, I remember you." She gave the redhead a soft kiss before introducing her to Stacie. "Let me correct myself. _We_ have been looking for you for five years."

"It's nice to meet you, Chloe." Stacie motioned to the row where Chloe had been sitting. "I suppose this is the blonde friend I heard about."

"Yup," Chloe giggled. "Her name is Aubrey. She's a little uptight but fun once you get to know her."

"This should be fun. You two enjoy," Stacie smirked as she went back to sit next to the blonde.

Beca was caught between being at a loss for words and wanting to pour out the last five years of memories to Chloe. Finally, she asked, "window or middle?" Chloe chose the middle seat. As they both got situated, Chloe immediately raised the armrest and snuggled in close to the brunette.

"I can't believe we are here – same plane, same everything. Are you two headed to Mardi Gras?" Beca nodded. "Us, too!" Chloe began to chatter about all the things in New Orleans she was looking forward to seeing. Beca raised her hand and stopped her. She reached out her hand for Chloe's phone and immediately input her number then texted herself.

As she handed it back she offered her hand for a handshake. "Beca Mitchell."

"Chloe Beale."

* * *

Stacie slid into the center seat uncomfortably close to the blonde who looked at her with disdain. "Who are you?" The blonde sneered and Stacie thought she even curled her upper lip.

"Stacie. And you are, Aubrey, right?" The blonde gave a hmmmmpft. "That tiny brunette up there… that's Beca. I believe your friend Chloe met her at our county fair about oooooohhhhhh five years ago?"

Aubrey stuck her nose up and made a noise which could only be described as disgust. "That – was a horrid little place in the middle of nowhere."

"Careful Aubrey. We both grew up there and spent every Labor Day weekend on those rides and eating that food. _And_ for the last five years, we've spent every open minute of the fair waiting in hopes Beca would see Chloe. Did you know you pulled your friend away before they could even exchange numbers?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I'm well aware of this. Chloe reminds me regularly."

"Good. Then there won't be a problem with all of us spending Mardi Gras together.

Aubrey didn't respond with anything more than crossing her arms and turning to look out the window.

* * *

Chloe and Beca spent the ninety-minute flight lamenting the past five years they spent apart. "I looked everywhere Chlo. We visited campus parties, coffee shops, every place we could think of. I even stayed at the county fair every day it was open in hopes you would return."

Chloe explained that she studied mostly in the library or at the house she shared with Aubrey. "I don't party much at all thus this big blow-out in New Orleans. I finished undergrad the year after I met you then completed my masters at Barden in three years."

"Barden? You went to Barden? Me, too! Music major."

"Literature here. I can see you as a music major. That's totally you." Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around on her knees to check on her friend. "Oops, Aubrey is pissy," she snickered.

"I was pissy for five years. She can get over it. I'm sure Stacie has already laid down the law. I hope you know we're spending every waking moment together."

"Making up for lost time?" Chloe entwined her fingers with Beca's. "I'm okay with that. Our friends backed out at the last minute, so it's going to be great for it to not be just me and Aubrey."

"We have a couple of friends meeting us there, but we don't have to hang out with them all the time. Fat Amy can make friends anywhere she goes."

Chloe got a confused look on her face. "Fat Amy?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."

* * *

After the plane touched down, Chloe and Beca waited for Stacie and Aubrey to disembark. Stacie was carrying Aubrey's bag which looked fishy. Beca thought perhaps she was trying to win the woman over. Beca and Stacie only had carry-on's, but Chloe and Aubrey checked luggage so they went to baggage claim.

While waiting for the bags, Stacie went to arrange for a private car to take them all into the city. Aubrey tried to protest, but Stacie insisted their parents were paying for the trip. Four people could ride for the same cost as two. "If it really bothers you, you can cover the tip for the driver." Stacie again made sure to beat Aubrey to carrying her bags to the waiting vehicle. This naturally meant Beca did the same for Chloe so as to not be shown up.

Traffic from the airport to the French Quarter was slow, at best, as the city was teeming with tourists. Locals had all cleared out unless they had a Mardi Gras related job or worked in the service industry. As luck would have it, the four women were staying at the same hotel. After getting checked in, they agreed to head to their respective rooms and meet back in the lobby in an hour.

As Beca and Stacie unpacked their bags, Beca talked non-stop. "I can't believe we found her Stace." Stacie was delighted to see her friend with a renewed sense of happiness after pining after the redhead for five years. Beca ran over to the balcony and threw open the doors. "And check out this view. I can't believe your dad scored us a room overlooking Bourbon Street. This is going to be the best trip ever."

The taller brunette grinned. "Fat Amy and Bumper's hotel is on the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles, right at the beginning of the Bacchus and Orpheus parade routes. Their room has a balcony, too. Dad arranged for us to get passes up to her room to watch the parades. Nice what you can do as a general manager of a hospitality chain. Happy graduation to us."

Beca's phone went off with a message. As she unlocked her screen, she grinned.

_Blue-Eyed Redhead: Aubrey is bitching because our view is a brick wall of the building next door.  
_She sent a picture of the wall.  
_BBQ Stain: Why don't you two come here? Room 210.  
_Beca included a picture of Bourbon Street with Stacie standing on the balcony with an unopened bottle of champagne the concierge had left for them.  
_Blue-Eyed Redhead: Score! Be there in 10._

* * *

Even Aubrey was impressed with Stacie and Beca's room. While not large overall, there was a small seating area with a table and the terrace overlooking one of the most famous party streets in New Orleans. The women hung out on the balcony while they drank the champagne from the front desk. Stacie explained her father's connections in the hospitality industry. "Plus, we've been planning this trip for a year. Wait until you see where our friend is staying – right on the route of two of the main parades." Stacie was teasing things out for Aubrey's behalf to slowly draw her in.

Chloe played along by being excited and asking Stacie all sorts of questions. Of course, she and Beca had already discussed this on the plane ride but agreed messing with Aubrey would be more fun. "Ohhh, beads." Chloe excitedly pointed to a large plastic bag of beads on the table.

"I thought the point was to catch your own beads, not buy them." Aubrey's doubtful look showed that the others hadn't quite yet reeled her in.

Stacie made an off-hand motion. "Those were left with the champagne. Who do you think throws beads to the people on Bourbon Street? The concierge probably didn't want us spending our own money on trinkets for the drunks down below." She dug a strand of beads from the bag and swung it around her finger. "Does this mean you are going to show me your tits?" From the time she'd spent with Aubrey already, Stacie knew how to get a rise out of the blonde.

Aubrey gave another humpft before announcing she was hungry. She went to pull Chloe off Beca's lap and the small brunette simply wrapped her arms more tightly around the redhead. "Nope, not letting go this time. We have five years to make up for." Beca pulled Chloe around to face her. "May we join you for lunch?"

* * *

After lots of back and forth, the girls found themselves at Felix's Oyster Bar for oysters and a whole spread of Cajun menu items they ended up sharing with each woman making note of what they wanted for themselves the next time they dined. Once they had stuffed themselves to the limit, the foursome strolled up and down Bourbon Street people watching in amazement. The number of people already overly intoxicated was interesting, at best.

Beca had several drinks she wanted to try and had mapped out the best places to get the ones she wanted. Throughout the evening, she and Chloe shared a Hurricane from Pat O'Brien's, a Daiquiri from Gene's Curbside, a Hand Grenade from Tropical Isle, and finally a Crawdad Bloody Mary from Daisy Dukes. Chloe agreed that while the Bloody Mary was the most unique and tasty of drinks, the Hand Grenade was the most awful thing she had ever tasted.

"Tastes like some of Fat Amy's concoctions," Stacie laughed. "Hey Becs, have you heard from her?"

"I texted her earlier and wanted her to meet us to explore Bourbon Street. She replied, 'sounds like cardio. Yeah, no don't put me down for cardio. Bumper and I are staying here.' So no Fat Amy. On the bright side, that also means no Bumper."

Once the streets of the French Quarter became too crowded, the women went back to Stacie and Beca's room after stopping first at a liquor store to stock up on booze and mixers which would be cheaper than drinking out of the mini-bar.

The rest of the night was spent tossing trinkets down to the raucous crowd on the street below. It was amusing what people would do for a string of beads, especially the women. Stacie and Beca started a running count of who got shown more tits; however, Stacie didn't notice that Beca quickly stopped asking women to bare themselves as she and Chloe just sat together and enjoyed each other's company. When Stacie would announce her count, Beca would either add or subtract a few and call out hers.

Fortunately, the alcohol was limited and none of the girls were any shape to venture out for more – not that they needed it. Aubrey announced she was going back to her room. When she stood, she wobbled a bit, okay well a lot. Stacie quickly stood up and invited herself to make sure the blonde made it back to her room.

"That was easy," Beca announced. "I'm hoping this means you'll stay with me?"

Chloe grimaced slightly before saying, "I feel so dirty. I need a shower." Beca offered her a t-shirt and shorts and told her to help herself to the shower. "How do you know Stacie won't come back?"

Beca pointed to the table. "She left her room key."

* * *

The next morning, Beca woke up with the redhead wrapped tightly around her. She kissed her forehead as she brushed the fire red hair behind Chloe's ears. The brunette gently kissed Chloe's face, ears, cheeks, neck and everywhere else she could reach as she pulled the woman in her bed closer.

"Mmmm," Chloe moaned. "I'll give you two hours to stop that." She opened her eyes to find Beca staring at her. Their kiss was soft yet searing. Passionate. As they finally broke for air, Chloe mumbled, "I'd give anything to have been able to do that every day of the last five years."

Warmth shot through Beca as Chloe's words sunk in. Not only had she found the redhead she'd been seeing in her dreams, they also seemed to have picked up right where they left off at that county fair so many years ago. "I'm not losing you again Chloe Beale."

* * *

_Like an old photograph  
__Time can make a feeling fade  
__But the memory of a first love  
__Never fades away_

...

_A heart don't forget, no a heart don't forget  
__I said a heart don't forget something like that  
__Oh, not something like that_


End file.
